First Slice 4-5-12: Opening Day, The Masters - it’s very sporty up in this piece

The top news stories in Atlanta today.

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1. Baseball baseball baseball! The Braves open their season this afternoon against the New York Mets. In fact, because I’m do damn late putting this up, the game starts in just a couple hours. But one of the reasons I’m late is I’ve been waiting for an undisclosed sports bar to open its doors so I can blog from said location today. I’m really going to try to get into this National League thing after 35 years defending the DH. Now, someone explain the double switch, please? Much obliged. Oh, in case you forgot how horribly last season ended for Braves fans, here’s a helpful reminder:

Atlanta, meanwhile, enters what will be the final season in the great career of third baseman Chipper Jones, while trying to erase the memory of a disastrous 2011 season that saw the team collapse in epic fashion in September. The Braves entered the final month in prime position to reach the playoffs for a second straight season. However, they ended the month, and their season, on a five-game losing streak and one game out of the National League Wild Card position.

2. In case that wasn’t enough: The Masters have teed off. Oh, lookee there, this fine establishment has that on the television set as well. Wait. Augusta is in Georgia, isn’t it? I did not plan my vacation time well. At all.

3. I flat-out love the folks at Central Atlanta Progress. But this $10-million downtown “spruce-up” story isn’t going to do them any favors, I’m afraid. Yes, making cosmetic improvements are necessary, and even they admit that much larger issues must be addressed to draw more corporate and convention business to Atlanta. But that falls so far down in the piece I’m afraid the takeaway (for some, anyway) will be “$10 million for that?”






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